Door latch



Sept 4, 1956 c. w. FREDERICK 2,761,716

DOOR LATCH Filed Oct. 10, 1952 irre/MEM United States Patent O DOOR LATCH Clarence W. Frederick, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Square D Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application Gctoher 10, 1952, Serial No. 314,667 4 Claims. (Cl. 292-76) This invention relates to a door latch suitable, for example, for the doors of sheet metal enclosures and has for its object the provision of a door latch of a minimum of parts including only a handle ring and a formed resilient strip, the parts being engaged solely by interlocking.

Other objects and features of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the specification and appended drawing illustrating certain preferred embodiments in which:

Figure l is an elevational view of an enclosure and door according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a partial sectional View on the line l-ll of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views of the retainer and locking strap.

Shown in the drawing is the front cover and trim 1 of an enclosure for a circuit instrumentality, not shown, having a door 2 hinged thereto as at 3. Adjacent to the right hand edge of the door 2, as viewed in Figures l and 2, there is placed an opening i through which extends a spring clip 5 having a loop extending to the exterior of the door 2 and there receiving a handle ring 6. The left hand end of the spring strip 5, as viewed in Figure 2, is provided with a return bent portion 7 engaging the back surface of the door 2 to retain the clip 5 in place. The opposite leg of the clip has a portion 8 extending parallel to and engaging the back surface of the door 2 to complete the interlocking of the clip against outward withdrawal and the free end of the clip 5 is provided with a latching nose 9.

The cover 1 is provided with a depressed portion 11 which engages the instrumentality within the enclosure and the inwardly directed wall thereof is provided with a pressed out tongue l2 to establish a latch keeper or striker which engages the nose 9 in latching engagement in the closed position of the cover as shown in Figure 2. With the door closed, as shown in Figure 2, it will be resiliently and frictionally latched in position by the engagement betwen the tongue 1?. and the latch nose 9. Manual engagement of the handle ring 6 and pulling thereon with sufficient force will move the hook 9 toward the left against its resilient bias and permit the door to be swung open. As the door is closed, the nose 9 slides freely along the surface of tongue 12 into the latched position of Figure 2.

In assembling the latch in the door, the loop therein is iirst engaged with the handle 6 at the exterior of the door and the leg corresponding to the portions 3 and 9 is threaded through the opening 4. Thereafter the leg which includes the interlocking end 7 is pressed through the opening 4 and the legs snap outwardly into the position shown in Figure 2, where the parts are securely interlocked between the end 7 and surface 8 and the inner surface of the door on one side and the handle ring 6 and the exterior surface of the door on the other.

According to the present invention, it is seen that there is provided a door latch with a minimum number 2,761,716 Patented Sept. 4, 1956 of parts of simple configuration and which may be readily inserted in position without special tools and when in position securely holding the parts together, but subject to removal by pressing the legs of the spring strip together until the portion carrying the end 7 may be moved back through the hole 4 in an operation the opposite of its assembly.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. ln a sheet metal enclosure having an openable door and a latch keeper in said enclosure at the door opening, a latch for said door comprising a spring metal strip having a U-shaped loop formed intermediate its ends, a handle ring disposed in said loop, one leg of said loop having a return bent portion formed therein, the other leg of said loop having an L-shaped offset formed therein, the upright portion of said offset having a latching nose formed therein, an opening in said door, said legs of said loop being adapted to be inserted through said opening and biased apart by the resilient bias of said strip to engage said return bent portion with said door adjacent to one side of said opening and the base portion of said offset with said door at the opposite side of said opening in said door, whereby said latch is maintained in position solely by the interlocking surfaces with the inside surface of said door and the handle ring with the outside surface of the door, said latching nose resiliently engaging said latch keeper to frictionally latch said door in said enclosure.

2. In a sheet metal enclosure having an openable door and a latch keeper in said enclosure at the door opening, a latch for said door comprising a spring metal strip formed with a loop intermediate its ends, a handle ling disposed in said loop, a rst end of said strip having a return bent locking lip, a second end of said strip having a latching nose formed therein, said second end being formed between said latching nose and said loop with a flat intermediate surface, an opening in said door, said ends adapted to be inserted through said opening and being biased apart by the resilient bias of the strip to engage said locking lip adjacent to one side of said opening and said intermediate surface extending parallel to and engaging the inside surface of said door at the opposite side of said opening in said door, whereby said latch is maintained in position solely by the interlocking surfaces with the inside surface of the door and the handle ring with the outside surface of the door, said latching nose resiliently engaging said latch keeper to frictionally latch said door in said enclosure.

3. In a sheet metal enclosure having an openable door and a latch keeper in said enclosure at the door opening, a latch for said door comprising a spring metal strip having a U-shaped loop formed intermediate its ends, a handle ring disposed in said loop, one leg of said loop having a return bent portion formed therein, the other leg of said loop having an L-shaped offset formed therein, the upright portion of said offset having a latching nose formed therein, an opening in said door, said legs of said loop being adapted to be inserted through said opening and biased apart by the resilient bias of said strip to engage said return bent portion with said door adjacent to one side of said opening and the base portion of said olfset with said door at the opposite side of said opening in said door, whereby said latch is maintained in position solely by the interlocking surfaces with the inside surface of said door and the handle ring with the outside surface of the door, said latching nose resiliently engaging said latch keeper to frictionally latch said door in said enclosure, the parts of said strip engaging the inside surface of said door normally being spaced apart a distance greater than the dimension of the opening in said door so as to prevent removal of the strip forwardly, said handle ring being wider than said door opening to prevent removal of said latch inwardly of the door.

4. In a sheet metal enclosure having an openable door and a latch keeper in said enclosure at the door opening, a latch for said door comprising a spring metal strip formed with a loop intermediate its ends, a handle ring disposed in said loop, a rst end of said strip having a return bent locking lip, a second end of said strip having a latching nose formed therein, said second end being formed between said latching nose and said loop with a 15 flat intermediate surface, an opening in said door, said ends adapted to be inserted through said opening and being biased apart by the resilient bias of the strip to 4 engage said locking lip adjacent to one side of said open'- ing and said intermediate surface extending parallel to and engaging the inside surface of said door at the opposite side of said opening in said door, whereby said latch is maintained in position solely by the interlocking surfaces with the inside surface of the door and the handle ring with the outside surface of the door, said latching nose resiliently engaging said latch keeper to frictionally latch said door in said enclosure, and the ends of said strip being movable together against their resilient bias to provide voluntary removal forwardly of the door, as desired.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,746,307 Frank Feb. 1l, 1930 2,407,459 Stieglitz Sept. 10, 1946 2,634,472 Brown Apr. 14, 1953 

